DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh deserves at least 15 percent of the money rich nations pledge to any global fund to help poor countries cope with climate change, a government minister said Wednesday, noting that his country is particularly at risk to rising sea levels.
Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 150 million people, suffers annual floods, cyclones and droughts, leaving many people dead or displaced. The country's junior environment minister, Hasan Mahmud, said it is estimated that 20 percent of Bangladesh's coastal area will be underwater and 20 million people will be displaced if sea levels rise one meter by 2050.
"The world has already recognized that Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change," Mahmud said in Dhaka. "We deserve a big share of the money the developed nations are likely to provide."
Mahmud said he has no idea how much money the rich nations will pledge for any climate change fund, but "we hope to get at least $5 billion over the next five years to fight the effects of climate change."
He did not explain how he arrived at that figure.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will head to Copenhagen next week for the ongoing global climate change summit.
